The skinny: We had heard of Flatbread, but we finally got the chance to head here recently. Not only had some of our friends mentioned how much they loved it, but Twitter followers @chrisgetman and @NEspringbash had recommended it, and we met up with new friend and fellow pizza fanatic @DeKoning there.

The vibe at Flatbread is super cool. While we would never consider ourselves pizza snobs and will go anywhere for a pie, we do have to admit it is nice to get our favorite food at a nice sit-down restaurant.

We were seated at the table closest to the prep area. We thought it was so fun to see the employees at work and get a glimpse of the fresh topping variety. Our table was also close to the huge pizza oven, which brought a welcome warmth and would be a perfect spot when the colder weather comes back.

While the menu is a little hard to read, it is funky — and that’s the best way to describe the menu’s offerings, as well.

There are interesting meat and veggie pizza specials daily (the selection changes weekly), but the regular menu pies offer plenty of variety, too. The Coevolution combines Kalamata olives, rosemary, red onions, oven roasted red peppers, goat cheese, mozzarella, garlic oil and herbs and goes for $17.75 for a large and $9.75 for a small.

The typical plain cheese pizza is replaced by the cheese and herb white pizza, which is simple mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses with garlic oil and herbs. A large goes for $13.75 and the small costs $8.25. There’s also a traditional cheese pizza, dubbed Jay’s Heart, which costs $14 for a large and $8.75 for a small. The on-menu pepperoni pizza adds mushrooms to the mix, but if that’s not your taste, you can get a more standard pepperoni pie for $16.50 for a large and $10 for a small.

Review: This was the first time we ordered two pizzas for a review, and it was definitely worth it.

We went with a large vegetarian special ($17) that the waitress told us about when we sat down; it was covered in tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash and goat cheese, then beautifully drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Then, to cancel out us being good with a veggie pie, we went with @DeKoning’s recommendation of a large homemade sausage pizza ($18), which featured maple fennel sausage, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms.

As much of a carnivore that Deidre can be, she definitely fell in love with the veggie pizza. She loved all the colors she saw when the pizza was set on the table and just loved the zucchini and summer squash (her favorite veggies) as toppings. She made a mental note to remember to use those as toppings this summer when she hits the farmstands and has some whole-wheat dough in the fridge.

And the balsamic was just to die for. While some pizzas topped with tomato or barbecue sauce can provide a sweet taste, this one was just so much more natural. And when a bite of pizza with balsamic combined with the goat cheese, the taste just became a memorable combination.

It was also obvious to see why the sausage pizza would be a favorite. The sausage and mushrooms gave off an intoxicating aroma. And then there was the crust. It was cooked up nice and crunchy on the outside, but still managed to stay chewy inside.

Deidre loved the sausage in an unexpected way. Normally, one might expect a spicier Italian sausage, but this maple sausage brought a nice sweetness to the meat pie. Andrew thought the mushrooms were a good counterbalance to the flavorful sausage. And anytime you have this much meat on a pizza, it’s always a pretty good idea to throw in some veggies, too.

Andrew wasn’t sure what to expect from the pizzas after a few hours in the fridge. To his surprise, the vibrant veggie pizza was the better of the two — at least cold. While the crust on both dried out quickly, the ingredients were just so fresh there was still plenty to savor.

Rating: Deidre: 4.5 / Andrew: 4 = 8.5/10 slices

Flatbread Company
138 Congress St., Portsmouth
436-7888, www.flatbreadcompany.com